More than the time factor, it is important to repeat the action on the joints everyday. Like in Surya namaskar, the same actions are done quite a few times. The connective tissue around the joints learn to give in by repetition. Intensity is fine too, but repetition is more important. I have understood this after I started practicing the KYM style. In a week, I practice many styles that appeal to me. KYM, Vinyasa flow, Aṣtanga and my own style. When I practice the KYM style, I notice that my joints relax way more and I can go deeper into all the poses. KYM style is where a simple sequence is repeated about 6 times, coordinating the movements with the breath. The breath is never hurried, it is really slow long deep breaths. And, the bonus is that I always want to meditate at the end of the session, which does not happen with any other style. Meditating even for a  few minutes was always a challenge for me, it was an alien concept. But nowadays I am getting the hang of it.

It is not just the joints and the muscles that learn by repetition. Even the mind is supposed to learn only by repetition. The Surya namaskar mantra, gayatri and many other prayers associated with the Sun are chanted every day to greet the Sun and to purge the mistakes of the previous day. The yamas (Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha) and niyamas (Saucha, Santosha, Tapas, Swadhyaya, Ishvarapranidhana) of Yoga are also to be practiced all the time and one can get to this only by repetition.

Shampoo. Rinse. Repeat. Good advice.

I was always aware that this word has been misused. Then it slowly dawns on me that another important word in Yoga has also been redefined. Either by PJ himself or his followers. I keep hearing conversations like, “I practice hatha yoga, not astanga” or the other way around. I ask the ayogis what is the difference. They tell me astanga is where one moves from one asana to the other with a vinyasa thrown in. Hatha is where one stays in a pose longer. Ok, Patanjali would be quite unhappy to hear the ayogis speak like this. Any physical yoga practice is hatha yoga, as far as I know. Flow, astanga, power, bikram, sivananda, Krishnamacharya KYM style, you name it. All of them are hatha yoga. So, astanga is nothing but a “style” of hatha yoga.

Then the next word incorrectly used is Vinyasa. The word Vinyasa according to Sri Krishnamacharya is coordinating movements with proper breathing and the sequencing of the asanas in an intelligent way with a purpose. Each of the important asana is practiced with vinyasas meaning variations and movements.

According to this definition by Sri K, astanga does contain the vinyasa for important poses like pascimottanasana, janu sirsasana, marichyasana and so on. Of course, it is completely based off of Sri K’s sequences. But, PJ has come up with a new definition.  The actual Vinyasa is called just an asana and the jump thru has been named the Vinyasa. I really have to wonder why.

Vinyasa according to PJ is the part surya namaskar A or the jump thru (chaturanga, upward dog, downward dog and jump thru) performed between each asana. He could have easily come up with new names for all this and not confuse with the classic definitions. For example, chaturangi-jump-like-a-proud-peacock for his vinyasa or chaturangi-fly-like-a-feather.

I am so not happy with PJ for getting three important words or concepts completely wrong. I know most people don’t care about such things, but I do.

I wouldn’t ask for my money back for the class, that’s just about how much I liked the class. I like my teachers lean and inspiring. That way, I know they are practicing their yoga, they are grounded and in touch with yoga and are not just talk. Isn’t the body a telltale of one’s yoga practice?

I would not trust a UI designer whose website looks so bad, who has never bothered to spell check the sample writing or when the links do not work correctly. The website of UI designer or a writer has to be simply good. That is what they do and I expect a high quality product from them.

On similar lines, I think a yoga teacher cannot be fat, essentially because all teachers are students forever. A serious yoga practice needs to be done with mindfulness and the bandhas. Practice with bandhas lead to good muscular control and the body tends to get lean. Unless the teacher is injured or suffering from some health condition, there is no way, a serious student can get fat.

The classic yoga texts are a great help in taking one’s practice from a beginner level to an advanced practice, which an asana teacher must be doing. The astanga yoga in the yoga sutras says clearly that greed is something one must conquer to get serious about yoga. Greed of food and anything else is to be avoided. Moderation is highly recommended. 

Sri Krishnamacharya’s Yoga Rahasya also discusses food and its moderation.

Āhara means food. But the root word har is to kill. You eat food to kill the hunger. If you do not take care, it can kill you in excess. Eat only when you are hungry and always in moderation.

Hatha Yoga Pradipika goes into such details about the diet and how it must be followed to gain a mastery of pranayama and asanas.

What do the readers think? Can a yoga teacher be fat? Or, am I wrong in expecting a teacher to be lean?

Pattabhi Jois died in Mysore yesterday at age 94. He was one of the most famous students of Sri T Krishnamacharya. I have read about him in some of the books from KYM.

When he was 12 years old, he attended a yoga demonstration at his middle school in Hassan. He was amazed by the asanas and by the strong, graceful yogi jumping from pose to pose. The next day, he went to meet the yogi who had given the demonstration, a man by the name of T Krishnamacharya. Bravely, for a boy of only twelve, he requested to be instructed in yoga. For the next two years, Pattabhi Jois learnt yoga from T Krishnamacharya. He continued his studies with his guru again after a break.

When I first attended a Mysore class in Ashtanga, I was quite shocked. It was so different from any other cookie cutter class in the West. I did not understand it 5 years back. It is a mature practice which is mostly self practice. I think I would understand it now, that I understand Yoga way better. I also know a lot more about Sri Krishnamacharya and his style of teaching.

I have great respect for Ashtanga and one of my favorite quotes by Pattabhi Jois is,
Do your practice, all is coming.